Ineffably marked by his hands

Clementine Smith Raised under strict Catholic rules, 18 year-old Clementine Smith has spent her whole life inside the walls of an old all-girls Catholic school, where obedience is expected and silence is survival. Shy, reserved, and avoiding romance at all costs, she insists she has no time for love-no matter how hard her reckless best friend Jackie tries to prove otherwise by throwing every possible boy her way. But when one unexpected connection begins to crack the walls she built around herself, she's forced to question everything she thought she wanted

Gabriel Kuznetsov is a name that carries power everywhere it's spoken. Standing at 6'1" with a body built from discipline and violence, his presence is impossible to ignore-dangerously attractive, effortlessly commanding, and feared by everyone from civilians to law enforcement. A Russian billionaire with control over industries, money, and influence, Gabriel lives as if the world bends to his will, because it usually does. Ruthless, calculating, and highly intelligent, girlys I know smart and handsome what could go bettterrr he's also very fluent in five language. Russian , Italian , German , Spanish , French , he doesn't ask for control-he takes it.

Although he rules from Russia, business brings him to Chicago, a city he normally wouldn't waste time in. But while there, his path crosses with Clementine, a shy girl raised under strict Catholic rules, someone completely untouched by his world of power and corruption. She is quiet, guarded, and tries to stay invisible-exactly the opposite of everything Gabriel is used to.

What begins as distance quickly turns into fixation. In Gabriel's world, nothing stays out of reach for long, and Clementine may be the one thing he can't afford to want... but will refuse to let go of